Wednesday, 1 June 2016

This week is National BBQ Week..... and it starts with a good old UK bank holiday on 30th May (running to 5th June). Yay!

The weather forecast is not great, but who cares? We Brits are always up for a barbie (aren't we?), and shine (or rain) we can stoically don and apron, grab the coals and head for the garden.

I'm celebrating National BBQ Week with FourWalls, a brand new, exciting project that has been launched by Ocean Loans to celebrate all things home-related. Go check out their site which is a growing bank of inspirational ideas and advice for home projects, revamps and decoration...... handy since we are about to embark on (yet another) extension!

BBQ's are a great opportunity to extend our homes into the openness of the garden and enjoy all that the summer has to offer us. With the availability of some amazing, easily transportable BBQ's that you can now find, you can also extend your recreational space even further, to incorporate great social food with friends at the beach or on a picnic in the countryside.

We are the proud owners of no less than three BBQ's at the GF house...... the monster gas version (convenient for large gatherings, but significantly missing out on the smoke and flavour of traditional charcoal models)....... A traditional charcoal version (which we use most frequently when garden-based)........ and an amazing Cobb BBQ, which is totally portable and runs on special briquettes which are hot and ready to cook with in just 5 minutes....... perfect for when we go to the beach. If you've never seen a Cobb BBQ before, you seriously have to check out this piece of kit....... It's brilliant!

One of the things that always makes me smile about BBQ's is how the men take control! Beer and tongs in hand, they take ownership of the cooking as if they are the only ones who know how to cook a burger..... Mr GF even marinades the meat and can knock up a mean guacamole...... Amidst the smoke he seems in his element...... I don't bother to offer much help with the actual cooking part..... oh no! BBQ's have a distinct macho image for being 'man's cooking'!

That's the 'being seen' stuff around the coals of course..... In the kitchen, I do my bit too...... prepping sides and salads, stuffing fish, and sorting veg.

The recipe I have shared with you here is one of my favourites. I have been making it for years and I have not met anyone yet who hasn't given it the seal of approval. It is entirely gluten free, vegetarian, dairy free and delicious. If you marinade the veg well ahead of time, the flavours mingle and absorb to perfection with the veg. You can even stick it in an airtight container to transport to those countryside and beach-based barbies....

Because the veg is cut relatively small, you need a suitable BBQ-proof 'container' to cook it in. I have always used a BBQ-wok, which is covered in little holes...... perfect for allowing the smoke to infuse throughout the cooking-process. If you don't have a BBQ wok (although it is definitely worth getting one), you can make a foil basket (make sure you use several layers of foil for strength), and pierce with a number of small holes to allow the smoke through.

This is a pretty healthy dish. You can use pretty much any veg you like although I have some firm favourites that work well on a BBQ...... peppers, mushrooms, aubergine, onion, baby corn, courgette..... For an added twist, I have spiralized some of the veg for this batch!

The marinade is simple but amazingly delicious. A combination of olive oil, balsamic &/or red wine vinegar, seasoning, garlic and plenty of herbs, it packs quite a flavour punch and brings the Mediterranean to your back yard.

I am sharing my Marinated BBQ'd Veg with the following linkies, in the hope that the recipe brings happiness to others too :

Method

Prepare the vegetables - wash, trim and slice/chop/spiralize as appropriate to the type of veg, and place in a very large bowl/container.

In a large jug, mix together all the marinade ingredients thoroughly and pour over the vegetables.

Using your hands, mix and toss the veg in the marinade making sure it is well coated.

Leave to marinate for a few hours (or overnight), mixing together occasionally to help the infusion process.

When ready, cook the veg on the BBQ over very hot coals (you will probably need to do this in batches) using either a BBQ wok or a home-made foil basket (a few layers (for strength) of foil shaped into a container with several holes pierced through to allow the smoke to mingle). Stir and turn the veg intermittently to help the cooking process.

The veg is done when it is soft and beginning to brown on the edges slightly.

If making in batches, keep warm in the oven or serve straight away with all your other great BBQ'd goodies.

With thanks to the Think Money Group for asking me to be part of the FourWalls campaign with Ocean Loans. I was not paid to write the post, although I was provided with a contribution to BBQ ingredients and sundries. As always, all views expressed here are my own.

Thanks Johanna. I had forgotten it is winter down your way now...... To be honest, the British summer feels very little different to winter here at the moment! I'm amazed though that you don't have a BBQ living in such a perfect BBQ place.....

This sounds delicious! I need to have some barbecues soon to try out some more adventurous recipes. I know this may not have unusual flavours or ingredients in but I've never cooked vegetables in this way on a bbq so would love to try.

Thanks Corina. I often think the trouble with BBQ's in the UK is that we get so little decent weather, it is really easy to go back to the same old recipes every time! Having said that, this one is a keeper and I would happily eat it every weekend x

Oh no! Maybe you should check out the Cobb BBQs.... They are amazingly compact and even safe to use on a table top! We love ours.I have to say I think the weather at your end of the country has been far better than ours this week (which has been cold, wet and windy!). x

I feel like I've had a bit of a BBQ education from this post :-) I had no idea what a cobb BBQ was and I've never seen a BBQ wok before (I now want both!). We've only got a gas BBQ because we like the fact that it heats up quickly (we also read that they're easier to clean but that's not true), I'm going to have a bit more of a look at the cobb BBQ and that special coal you mentioned as I do miss the smokey flavour of a traditional BBQ and so love the idea of one that heats up as quickly as my gas one does.

The vegetables sound delicious, in the past we've tended to stick to eating meat in buns at our BBQs but this year I'm trying to add more veg to make everything a bit lighter and healthier. Do you cook the corn directly on the BBQ or in the wok? I've been wrapping mine in foil as I was worried it would burn.

Ha Ha! Thanks Charlotte. Def check out the Cobb. It's a great piece of equipment.... small enough to take to the beach and is even safe to use on the garden table.And yes.... we always cook our corn straight on the BBQ. You have to watch them, but they don't take long and the slightly browned areas add extra texture and bring out the sweetness a little more. Sort of adds a street food element!

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I'm Kate, author of the Gluten Free Alchemist blog.

We love sharing our gluten free recipes, baking and product reviews and our experiences of travel and parenting. We embrace Coeliac diagnosis without fear and enjoy the adventure and challenge it has given us.

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